Mt. Vernon girls down Lamar for district title

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By Pat Dailey (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

MT. VERNON — Cameron Call extended her offensive game Saturday to help Mt. Vernon extend its season.

Call didn’t hesitate to launch and make 3-pointers from as deep as 25 feet out during the Lady Mountaineers’ 69-34 rout of Lamar in the Class 3 District 12 championship game.

Call finished with four 3s in her 20-point night.

“A lot of the time opponents don’t think I’m going to shoot it when I’m that far out, especially if I’m at a volleyball line,” Call said. “Sometimes, I don’t even know far I am from the basket. I just know that I’m open, so I shoot it. That’s an instinct I have.”

Call credits her work with weights for allowing her the strength to go deep.

“You need to have strong legs to shoot the ball,” she said. “You can’t just use all arms. Getting in the gym and taking reps has helped me take those deep shots and making them, just like a normal shot.”

Mt. Vernon coach Dusty Killingsworth likes the openings Call’s deep 3s create.

“When she shoots it from deep, it opens up lanes for our girls for dribble penetration and rebounding,” Killingsworth said.

Call’s early fireworks helped set up her teammates for success. Caitlin Hicks added 16 points and Lacy Stokes 14.

Mt. Vernon (26-2) enjoyed a 16-0 run over the second and third quarters on its way to putting the turbo clock in effect in the fourth quarter.

“Defensively, we did our job against their best players,” Kllingsworth said. “I’m very proud of our girls in that capacity.”

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME

“We try to get all up into people on defense,” said Call, who has received a scholarship offer from former Drury and Missouri State coach Nyla Milleson at George Mason. “A lot of our offense comes from our defense. We try to be aggressive on ‘D.’”

The Lady Mountaineers showed no signs of complacency, despite having beat Lamar (18-9) by 26 points two weeks ago and sweeping through Big 8 play by an average margin of victory of 34.1 points.

Mt. Vernon will take its 19-game winning streak into Sectionals opposite two-time defending state champion Strafford on Wednesday at Willard.

“They’re a juggernaut,” Killingsworth said. “It’s a challenge to play the best team in the state, that’s all the motivation you need.”

“A lot of people are saying this is the state championship game,” Call said. “This is the game we’ve been looking forward to. It’s going to be a great challenge. I think we’re ready to step to the plate. Strafford is Strafford. They’re a great team. We’ll have to give it all we’ve got. “

Lamar 7 5 15 17 – 34
Mt. Vernon 19 16 16 18 – 69
LAMAR (34) — Kara Morey 4, Darrah Bartlett 8, Katelyn Mooney 5, Haliee Doss 1, Kara Beshore 6, Lauren Morgan 4, Lauren Compton 6.
MT. VERNON (69) — Ashlyn McCanless 3, Ellie Johnston 5, Lacy Stokes 14, Caitlyn Hicks 16, Cameron Call 20, Lyndsey Hood 2, Camryn Eldridge 9.

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